Keeping It Honest: Standing Rock is Not Woodstock

STANDING ROCK INDIAN RESERVATION – A photo posted by Tyler Eldridge on Facebook on Thursday is going viral. It suggests the photo is of the crowd at the Sacred Stone encampment at Standing Rock. The photo suggests the media is not properly covering the #NoDAPL demonstration at Standing Rock.

The photo is a hoax.

It is a photo is 47-years-old of Woodstock, the music festival that attracted 400,000 to a farm near Woodstock, New York. The music festival was supposed to last two day. It lasted four days and became of pop culture history.

From Facebook

The hoax should by no means diminish what is underway at Standing Rock.

Standing Rock does not need to compete with Woodstock. Standing Rock, which has drawn thousands of American Indians and supporters from all parts of Indian Country, demonstrates the solidarity and strength of American Indian people today. Standing Rock represents American Indians are willing to stand up to big oil companies to protect our rights to protect our ancestral lands from the “big black snake.”

Sacred Stone Camp near Standing Rock = Photo by Christopher Francisco

Part of the hoax is true. With the exception of Lawrence O’Donnell and MSNBC and Amy Goodman and Democracy Now!, the media has done a less than stellar job of covering the #NoDAPL movement underway at Standing Rock.

About The Author

Levi Rickert, a tribal citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, is the publisher and editor of Native News Online. Previously, he served as editor of the Native News Network. He is a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Yeah, I had shared it with a disclaimer on how the energy was similar (but not accurate) and sent a pm to Tyler Eldridge concerning the post. His page is set to not accept comments. Hard to tell if the pm was received, read, acknowledged, or even cared about. Thank you for addressing the issue here. I try to keep up on these and open to those on site and working to report accurately and I know it is becoming a grave pain in the butt. The time it takes to run something by someone involved to confirm or deny a certain post allows the lies to circulate virally and by then most of the damage is done. Please feel free to keep me abreast of the accurate updates and I will forward them gladly.

Patricia Smith Olmstead2 years ago

Marilee, I humbly Thank you for your hard work! Please, never give up on the truth!

Lena Toledo2 years ago

Yes, the “…media has done less than a stellar job of covering the #NoDAPL movement underway at Standing Rock…” It’s intentional! And there is a greedy reason for this. There are six (6) enormous media conglomerates that combine to produce about 90% of all the media that Americans consume. These are Time Warner, Walt Disney, CNN, NBC, CBS and ABC. They control the production of all and that makes the media immensely powerful. They literally are in position to tell people what to think. That is alarming, would you think? The truth is that our attitudes, opinions and beliefs are greatly shaped by what we allow into our minds. After all, they don’t call it “programming” for no reason. We greatly underestimate the tremendous influence that the media has over us. We live at a time when it is absolutely imperative to think for ourselves, but most Americans are being absolutely overwhelmed with information and seem more than content to let other do their thinking for them. Sadly, this is greatly contributing to the rapid downfall of America as heralded by economists on the internet warning us to do something about it. Well, the First Nations aka Native Americans have had just enough of this attempted destruction of the Great Creator/Great Spirit’s awesome, unfathomable, glorious creation and have stepped up to the plate telling the entire universe, NO MORE deliberate destruction!! The great unexpected gathering on the Standing Rock Sioux Nation’s near one of its eight district communities that comprises the Great Sioux Nation is a divinely-inspired stand of over 280 distinct Tribes across Indian Country and 8,000 supporters onsite and still going. Lawrence O’Donnell capsulized our history from 1492, 1621 in his powerful and factual Commentary relevant to this historic gathering since the Victorious Military Battle at the Little Big Horn the one hot summer of 1876. As Lawrence O’Donnell cited in his closing Commentary “…..but to the stunning strength and the 500 years of endurance and undying dignity of the people who were here long before us. The people who have always known what is truly sacred in this world.” Our elders of the past told us that “…one day our people will be known to the world..” Yes, we finally took the World’s Center Stage this summer.

Richard Smith2 years ago

Supposing that his intentions were good (hoping to show massive support?) it was still a bad idea, even though it went viral (got looked at by millions of viewers), it was bound to be found out. No, of course it’s not Woodstock. But Standing Rock is still a celebration of the people coming together- for an entirely different reason, of course. Standing Rock is a VERY SERIOUS coming together of primarily Native Americans and other supporters to stop the rape of the land, and most Americans still don’t understand that is is for ALL OF US, non Indians included, that the corporations have to be stopped from ruining our water supplies, that they can’t just bulldoze their way through our lives, without regard for our health, for the lives of our children. Woodstock was the last coming together of disaffected American youth, dancing and singing, hoping their hope for a different future could be realized by just “being”. Sad in retrospect; They had no idea that building the future they wanted takes dedication and hard community work. Most gave up and became what they feared most: their parents.

Gene2 years ago

I knew that photo was a fake. But an idea of benefit concerts comes to mind for cash strapped camps in ND.

Example: Grateful Dead played in Chicago. All shows sold out. They made $450 million dollars in a few days. This was 2016, not the year 1969 when they played at Woodstock, NY.

TribalMemberand Proud of it.2 years ago

Like I said before, to ME, the photos look Peace Filled of OUR TRIBES sitting together out on the open lands.
Then again, I have known this since childhood. So ever thinking otherwise, I’m just not capable.

Hopefully one day others can see that peace too, if they Open up their hearts and minds.

Lisa1 year ago

Perhaps the point is that Standing Rock could grow to the size of Woodstock… That is how I interpreted it.

I’m a documentary photographer who has been covering the positive daily life of the main camp, which is pictured above in the article, but I believe it is also an incorrect location, just like the Woodstock photo. The photo of the protest gathering above is the Oceti Sakowin camp, and not the Sacred Stone camp. I’ve spent multiple nights in both. I’m sure it’s just an innocent mistake, but think it should be pointed out 🙂

Thank-you so much for clarifying this. The truth makes us stronger and is never something we should be willing to sacrifice, no matter how important the cause. When I originally saw the photo, I was skeptical because the area around Standing Rock is semi-arid and the photo was of a pretty lush area. And I thought, oh no, someone is creating propaganda to try to make the protest look bigger than it is. When we start telling lies to further our cause, we begin walking down the same path that people like Donald Trump walk on. Thank-you again for telling the truth.

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